Botulism and hot-smoked whitefish: a family cluster of type E botulism in France, September 2009

L A King; T Niskanen; M Junnikkala; E Moilanen; M Lindström; H Korkeala; T Korhonen; M Popoff; C Mazuet; H Callon; N Pihier; F Peloux; C Ichai; H Quintard; P Dellamonica; E Cua; M Lasfargue; F Pierre; H de Valk

doi:10.2807/ese.14.45.19394-en

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Botulism and hot-smoked whitefish: a family cluster of type E botulism in France, September 2009
L A King¹ , T Niskanen² , M Junnikkala³ , E Moilanen⁴ , M Lindström⁵ , H Korkeala⁵ , T Korhonen⁶ , M Popoff⁷ , C Mazuet⁷ , H Callon⁸ , N Pihier⁸ , F Peloux⁹ , C Ichai¹⁰ , H Quintard¹⁰ , P Dellamonica¹¹ , E Cua¹¹ , M Lasfargue¹¹ , F Pierre¹¹ , H de Valk¹
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Affiliations: ¹ Institut de Veille Sanitaire (French National Institute for Public Health Surveillance, InVS), Saint Maurice, France ² Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Helsinki, Finland ³ State Provincial Office of Oulu, Finland ⁴ Environment Office of the Oulu region, Finland ⁵ Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland ⁶ National Institute of Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland ⁷ CNR des bactéries anaérobies et du botulisme (National Reference Center for Anaerobic Bacteria and Botulism), Pasteur Institute, Paris, France ⁸ Direction Générale de l’Alimentation (Ministry for Agriculture), Paris, France ⁹ Direction départementale des affaires sanitaires et sociales (Departmental Directorate for Health and Social Affairs), Alpes Maritimes, France ¹⁰ Saint Roch Hospital, Nice University Hospital Centre, Nice, France ¹¹ L’Archet Hospital, Nice University Hospital Centre, Nice, France

Correspondence:
L King
l.king invs.sante.fr
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Citation style for this article: King L A, Niskanen T, Junnikkala M, Moilanen E, Lindström M, Korkeala H, Korhonen T, Popoff M, Mazuet C, Callon H, Pihier N, Peloux F, Ichai C, Quintard H, Dellamonica P, Cua E, Lasfargue M, Pierre F, de Valk H. Botulism and hot-smoked whitefish: a family cluster of type E botulism in France, September 2009. Euro Surveill. 2009;14(45):pii=19394. https://doi.org/10.2807/ese.14.45.19394-en Received: 05 Nov 2009

Abstract

A family cluster of three cases of type E botulism were identified in south-east France in September 2009. The suspected food source of infection was a vacuum packed hot-smoked whitefish of Canadian origin purchased by the family during a visit to Finland and consumed several weeks later in France on the day prior to symptom onset. No leftover fish was available to confirm this hypothesis. Vacuum packed hot-smoked whitefish has previously been associated with cases of type E botulism in multiple countries, including Finland, Germany, the United States and Israel.